This recipe is unbelievable.
I’m serious. It’s one of those recipes where you read the ingredients, roll your eyes, and say, “There is absolutely no way this recipe will turn out.”
Then you try it anyway, because curiosity gets the better of you.
Such was the case when I came across a recipe for no-potato tater tots in the book Superfood Kitchen. Logical reasoning told me it just wasn’t possible that the ingredients listed on the page could yield something even remotely similar to a tater tot…
Logical reasoning was wrong.
Crispy on the outside, soft on the inside…
And difficult to stop eating!
These “superfood” taters are high in protein, EFAs, and fiber. And in this recipe, no deep-fryer is necessary to achieve that perfect crispy-soft texture.
Healthy Tater Tots
(Reprinted with permission)
- 3/4 cup cooked white beans (such as Great Northern)
- 2 tbsp flaxseeds (golden for most-authentic appearance)
- 2 tbsp ground flaxmeal
- 1 cup cooked quinoa (K note: I cooked my quinoa with 1/8 tsp salt)
- 1 tbsp white miso
- 2 tbsp brown rice flour
- 1/4 cup finely-diced onion
- oil or oil spray for the pan
Using a fork, mash the white beans in a large bowl. (If using unsalted beans, you can add a little extra miso or salt to compensate.) Mix in the remaining ingredients, except for oil. A handful of dough at a time, form 1 inch thick long logs on a chopping board. Carefully cut logs into ½ thick slices to make the tots. Warm a skillet over low heat, and pour in a little olive oil (a tablespoon or two) to coat the pan. (K note: I did these in two batches and used about 1 tbsp olive oil per batch. I did also fry a few separately in oil spray to make sure it would work, as I knew people would ask about that option!) Place tots inside the pan, and cook for several minutes until browned. Use a spatula to flip tots over to brown other side evenly. Serve homemade tater tots immediately with ketchup if desired, or freeze for later use. Serves 3-5.
Click to: View Tater Tots Nutrition Facts
Although I’ve never been completely sold on the extent of superfoods’ health benefits, I found myself bookmarking page after page of Superfood Kitchen by Julie Morris simply because the recipes sound delicious. Quinoa Spaghetti with Cashew Cream Sauce and Chard? Hearty Kale and Black Eyed Pea Stew? Superfood Sangria? Yes please! Along with the recipes, Ms. Morris has included a catalogue of superfood ingredients, detailing the benefits of and uses for each. It’s inspired me to expand my own culinary horizons, and I recommend this book for anyone looking to break out of a cooking rut and experience a whole array of new flavors.
Do you include any superfoods in your diet?
I don’t go out of my way to eat something just because it’s a superfood, but my diet is accidentally filled with superfoods: blueberries, almonds, sweet potatoes, spinach, coconut, chocolate… chocolate, chocolate, chocolate. Chocolate. And no, it is not a typo that I have chocolate listed five times.
Link of the Day:
……………… Black Bean Brownies
Beans are a superfood too. Bring on the brownies!
Why are the photos reversed? Were they shot with a mirror?
i saw these in the book too. sadly, my husband is allergic to quinoa. i was thinking about trying to use riced cauliflower instead of quinoa, and maybe adding a little chickpea flour.
I see in the nutrition facts that this is for 56 grams of tater tots. Approximately how many tots due I get for 56 grams or 100 calories?
So, I just made these, but when I went to the pantry for a can of beans I spied a can of refried pinto beans and it occurred to me they would be easier to use since they are already mashed… Worked fine. I used sorghum flour and chives instead of onion. What a fun and great recipe! So glad you shared it. I will have to try to get my hands on that cookbook.
Beans don’t always agree with me so I am going to try making these with shredded potato in place of the beans… But they will still be healthier than tater tots!
Update: these make delicious little potato patties if you make up the mixture with about twice the amount of shredded raw potato and leave out the flour. :). The flax and quinoa make them very crisp on the outside.
Just wanted to say THANK YOU for sharing this recipe! I have been struggling to get my 22 month old to eat quinoa lately (it’s a texture issue with him) and this was the perfect way to do it! Plus, the bean add an extra protein punch! These were a hit last night with the whole fam- next time I will double the recipe 🙂
I was actually thinking of tweaking the recipe a bit- adding herbs and spice, garbanzo bean flour instead of rice and some nutritional yeast. Maybe even a little tahini? I did use 1 TBS sesame seeds instead of one flax (I did 1 flax, 1 sesame)…
No offense intended, but what is the point of making a “tater tot” without potato and with beans and quinoa? Potatoes are good for you and I’m sure there are recipes out there for healthy tater tots that actually have potato. Why substitute a vegetable? It’s vegan and vegetarian already and it would probably taste way better!
Love love love this website! Obsessed. Im going to make these tonight and had one small question: is the recipe calling to measure one cup of raw quinoa (which I would then cook), or one cup of already cooked quinoa? These would yield quite different results, and I had just thought that one cup of cooked quinoa might not be enough. Thanks for the amazing-ness Katie!
these look and sound SO GOOD!! because I don’t fry anything, do you think they’d do well under the broiler?
Someone further up in the comments said they had success baking them in the oven instead of pan-frying, maybe that could work for you?
Hi, Katie – made these the other day – my “dough” was not really roll-able, it was much too soft. I was able to shape them & fry them, & they came out fine, but I was wondering what consistency was the dough when you made them?
Probably ask Julie Morris (juliemorris.com), as it’s her recipe.
To make them healthier, instead of serving them with the chemical laden Heinz 57 shown, make your own catsup with tomato paste and vinegar (http://www.simplyscratch-DOT-com/2012/05/homemade-ketchup-recipe.html) (replace the -DOT- with a period)
I find the recipe as written a bit too sweet and cinnamon-y, so I cut both in half and it’s great. Cheap and easy, I may never buy bottled catsup again, and now I don’t have to worry about HFCS or other chemicals polluting my catsup!